Dear Parents, Guardians and Caregivers,

***FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL IS MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 14 ***

It is with great pleasure that I write to you and welcome you to the 2020-2021 School Year. I hope that you are enjoying a wonderful and relaxing summer and looking forward to the new school year as much as we are.

As you know, summer work and preparation for the school year has been extremely different than previous years. Our staff has been working tirelessly to prepare for both virtual and in-person instruction, including everything from scheduling and lesson plans to setting up classrooms, cleaning and sanitizing all spaces, ensuring proper ventilation and stocking up on Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to ensure that all of our schools are healthy and safe environments for our staff and students.

As we get ready to begin the new school year, I have some important updates to provide. Due to the fiscal impact of COVID-19 on the New York State budget, we are looking at a significant reduction in the school aid from what we were anticipating and for which we had planned. At this time, we are expecting our aid will be reduced by 20 percent or approximately $28.5 million. As such, our district is forced to make significant cuts in spending which has an impact on our programs, as well as, how we schedule and staff our schools. We have carefully reviewed all of our options and have made some changes for the upcoming school year. These are outlined below.

Please keep in mind that we are moving into a school year that is different than any other. The changes that we are making for this school year should be considered temporary and directly in response to the circumstances at hand.

Enclosed you will find important information regarding the upcoming school year. Please read through all of the information that is attached including the list of COVID-19 related protocols that must be followed. You will receive, in a separate mailing, a Learning, Health & Safety Compact. It is very important that you read the compact, review it with your child and both sign it. This is an acknowledgement that you understand all of the expectations.

You can also look forward to receiving a letter from your child’s school with more information and details specific to your child.

If you have any questions or concerns, you can reach us 24 hours a day, seven days a week through “Let’s Talk.” You can access it by clicking on the tab, located on the left-hand side of the district website or the “Let’s Talk” link under the parent dropdown menu. There is a team behind each topic on “Let’s Talk.” We will make sure that you are directed to the appropriate person.

I hope you enjoy the remainder of your summer and wish you a fantastic 2020-2021 School Year. Thank you for your continued patience and understanding. We are all in this together and we are #strongertogether. See you on September 14th.

Sincerely,

Dr. Aaron T. Bochniak
Interim Superintendent of Schools

DISTRICT

CENTRAL PARK ZONE

MONT PLEASANT ZONE

ONEIDA ZONE

HIGH SCHOOL

ADULT ED

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